


Monopoly

by ALovelyLitwit



Series: Reunion [1]
Category: Roswell New Mexico (TV 2019)
Genre: M/M, friendship fic, game nights as they work on being friends, not nice to Forrest Long
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-20
Updated: 2020-11-03
Packaged: 2021-03-09 05:53:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,872
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27119140
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ALovelyLitwit/pseuds/ALovelyLitwit
Summary: Michael and Alex decide to start a game night each Friday to work on their friendship.
Relationships: Michael Guerin/Alex Manes
Series: Reunion [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2006023
Comments: 164
Kudos: 210





	1. Monopoly

‘Monopoly?’ Alex looks at him dubiously.

‘Yes, Monopoly. And I get to be the banker.’ Michael drops the game onto Alex’s dining room table and smirks at him. ‘Game night was your idea.’

‘I was thinking more along the lines of strip poker, not a game that involves so much math.’ Alex suddenly frowns. ‘Which is why you chose it because you’ll win easily.’

‘Poker is also just math. And while strip poker sounds incredibly enticing, that’s not the point of game night.’ He sits in the chair opposite Alex and shakes the top loose from the Monopoly box. 

One week ago, they’d both spent Friday evening at the Pony, tucked away together at the end of the bar. Talking about anything and everything under the moon. Catching up on what they’d missed the four months Alex had tried dating Forrest. In all those hours, they never noticed Maria refilling their drinks or Liz patting them on the shoulder in hello. They didn’t hear last call and had no idea the bar was closed until Maria dropped her keys loudly on the bartop between them, making them promise to lock up after themselves. When the sun had finally started to rise, neither had wanted to say goodbye so Alex had volunteered his house for game night the next Friday evening.

And now Friday has arrived. Alex reaches over the table and snatches the shoe token. Michael raises an eyebrow at him but says nothing, taking the dog for himself. He rolls the dice with his mind and gets a six. Alex gets an eight and pumps his fist in celebration while Michael tries to hide the grin threatening his lips.

‘Let’s make the game more interesting, shall we?’ Michael leans back in his seat, arm extended across the chair next to him.

‘Strip Monopoly?’ Alex doesn’t bother hiding his own grin.

Rolling his eyes, Michael places both their pieces on the board and deals out their allotted starting cash. ‘We’re keeping our clothes on. But we can still get naked. For every hotel you buy, you have to share a truth with me at the end of the game. And vice versa.

‘A truth?’ Alex is back to looking at him dubiously.

‘Yeah. Something you want me to know. Could be anything, doesn’t matter. Just has to be true.’ They stare at each other for a long minute before Alex nods.

The game begins. They play until 3 am and it’s no surprise that Michael ends up with five hotels to Alex’s three. It’s also no surprise that Michael wins and doesn’t even bother to gloat about it. Alex pretends not to be infuriated.

Even though it’s late, they both grab a fresh beer to play out the next part of their game. Michael pops both the caps on their bottles and smiles at Alex. ‘Losers first.’

‘All three?’ He squirms in his chair, already uncomfortable.

‘All three.’ Michael would be lying if he said he wasn’t also nervous.

Alex takes several long sips from his beer and narrows his eyes at Michael. ‘Okay, first one. I’ll start obvious. You’re much, much better in bed than Forrest.’

Michael doesn’t even bat an eye.

‘Two. I have an entire notebook of songs I wrote for you while overseas. Songs from all three tours.’ Alex darts his eyes away at first, but slowly drags them back. Michael smiles at him in reward. 

‘Three.’ He pauses because there’s a lot he could say. There’s _stay the night_. There’s _I miss you_. There’s _I love you, I love you, I love you_. But he chooses something different. ‘I want you. I want you here with me in this life forever.’

Silence settles across the table in the wake of Alex’s final truth. Michael waits for their racing hearts to rest before continuing.

Their gazes stay firmly locked together as Michael begins his own list. ‘One. I knew about the notebook.’ Alex shakes his head in mock exasperation. ‘Two. The day you left for basic I broke myself free from lockup and watched you board the bus from the parking lot.’

Alex’s whole face shifts, closing in on itself while he blinks rapidly at Michael’s admission. ‘Why didn’t you say something?’

‘I did. You just didn’t hear it.’ He gulps at his beer.

‘Michael?’ Alex’s eyes are wide and questioning. 

‘Three. You’ve hurt me before and I’m afraid you’ll hurt me again.’ Alex’s face softens and he gently nods his head. ‘Four. I only want to be friends right now. And maybe for a long time.’ Alex reaches across the table and Michael takes his hand. ‘Five. But I want you too. I want you here with me in this life forever. I just want us to take our time.'

Eventually, they let go of each other’s hands and put away the board game. There’s a new layer of comfort that’s seeped between them. One that’s never been there before in all their many, many years of each other. 

Alex walks Michael to his truck. ‘Next week, Scrabble. I can’t lose twice in a row.’

They both laugh and Michael leans in to kiss him on the cheek. ‘I’ll bring takeout. But don’t get too cocky. Max made me read all that Russian literature once upon a time.’ 

Alex groans as he wraps his arms around Michael’s neck, allowing himself to weave his fingers through Michael’s hair one time before he leaves. ‘See you next week.’

They pull apart and Michael climbs inside the Chevy. Reaching out with his telekinesis, he pushes lightly on Alex’s chest. Alex lifts his hand to the newly warm spot over his heart and waves goodbye.


	2. Battleship

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the second week of Michael and Alex's game night friendship.

‘Battleship? I thought we were playing Scrabble.’ Michael drops the Thai food on the table and sits down in his regular chair. 

Alex already has the game board set up and a stupid grin plastered across his face. ‘You threatened me with Max’s Russian literature so I changed my mind. Battleship is a game of chance. You can’t naturally be better at a guessing game than me.’

Michael smirks and leans back in his chair. ‘Unless, of course, I’ve been working on honing my dormant telepathy, and I know, for instance, that you don’t plan to place any of your ships along the outside edges.’

Alex’s mouth falls open and then his brow furrows in frustration. ‘Are you kidding me right now, Guerin? Telepathy?’

He just shrugs and unpacks their food. Alex watches him, eyes narrowed and mind spinning. ‘I got you extra fish sauce and oyster sauce.’ He tosses several packets in Alex’s general direction.

‘You aren’t telepathic.’ Alex takes his takeout container and drizzles his food with all the extra sauces. ‘Your reaction when I opened the door would have been very different. The no ships on the edges was a lucky guess.’

Michael pops the cap on his beer loudly. ‘You mean when your eyes dropped to my chest and the only thing you wanted to do was get me naked?’ He grins smugly at Alex’s blush. ‘I also didn’t need to be telepathic to know that. I’ve watched you undress me with your eyes on and off for over a decade.’

He bites at his food so he doesn’t have to look Michael in the eye. ‘Sorry. I know we’re friends only or whatever. But it’s your fault - all those goddamn undone buttons.’ 

‘Don’t apologize. I look good. And I look good on purpose.’ He shrugs and begins placing his ships on the board.

Alex risks raising his eyes. ‘Why are we like this?’

‘Because the universe decided to make us each other’s kryptonite.’ He tosses another packet of fish sauce at Alex’s head and offers him a reassuring smile. ‘It’s fine, Alex. Let’s just play.’ 

‘Okay, but no funny business.’ He stares at his game board and tries to strategize. 

Michael spoons food into his mouth and floats Alex’s pieces with his mind. ‘You mean like that.’

‘Yes like that.’ Alex snatches them back and gives up attempting to outsmart the smartest person he’s ever known. ‘Okay, I’m ready.’

They play and the game progresses quickly. Michael swiftly sinks Alex’s submarine and then his destroyer. Several minutes later, all five of Alex’s ships are sunk and Michael watches gleefully as he buries his head in his hands. 

Sighing loudly, Alex starts to replace his ships. ‘Best two out of three.’ But the next two out of three end the exact same way. ‘I find this to be an unacceptable and near impossible conclusion.’ He takes one final bite of his cold food and slams shut his game board, pouting.

Smiling fondly, Michael puts the game away and takes their takeout trash into the kitchen. When he returns, he sits in the chair next to Alex. ‘I promise to lose next week.’

But Alex only shakes his head. ‘Next week we’re playing something cooperative. I refuse to lose again, but you are absolutely not allowed to let me win. Not ever, Guerin.’

‘Cooperative, huh? You just trying to keep me on your side of the table?’ Michael leans into Alex’s space, arm falling on the back of Alex’s chair.

Alex raises an eyebrow at him and gestures at the lack of space between them. ‘No flirting. You asked for friendship and making me want to kiss you isn’t friendship.’

‘That’s fair.’ He shifts back in his seat and removes his arm. ‘It’s just my head tells me one thing, my heart tells me another, and my body, well, you’re well-versed in what my body tells me.’

They sit quietly for a minute, comfortably and with no signs of awkwardness despite the conversation’s subject matter. ‘Maybe we should take game night somewhere public. The Crashdown or the Pony. Anywhere that’s not ten feet from my bed.’

Michael frowns. ‘Town gossip will have us dating in under five seconds. And once Isobel hears, she’ll never let it go. You’ve never had to deal with Isobel after she’s decided to meddle.’

‘I can handle Isobel.’ Michael snorts. ‘I’ve been to war, Guerin.’ He snorts louder. ‘Do we actually care what anyone thinks?’

Michael resists the urge to snort again. ‘You sure used to. I can't be with a criminal, Michael. Remember that?’

Alex roughly shakes his head, more to convince himself than Michael. ‘Not anymore. I let my dad make me a dick.’

‘You were a dick. But that was a long time ago and your dad is dead. Anyway, I don’t want to take game night somewhere else.’ His eyes dart towards the hallway leading to Alex’s bedroom. ‘I consider it a good thing that your bed is only ten feet away because one of these nights I’m going to throw you on it and take that too-big bed for a ride.’ He stands abruptly and tosses his hat on his head. ‘See you next week.’

He’s halfway to the front door when Alex shouts after him. ‘This is not how friends work, Guerin.’ Laughing, he shuts the door quietly behind him.


	3. Pandemic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alex stays true to his promise and the boys play their first cooperative game.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the perfect little palate cleansing story to write when I need a break from the baseball au. I have no clue if it's any good, but it's fun to write!!

‘You cooked Tuesday night. You didn’t need to cook again.’ Alex steps onto his patio, walking over to where Michael already has his grill heating up. ‘I could have picked up something on the way home.’

Michael shrugs and chomps at Alex playfully with a set of tongs. ‘I was in the mood for jalapeno burgers and no one makes good jalapeno burgers in this one horse town.’

‘How can I help?’ 

‘Go get rid of the uniform and teach me how to play the game while I watch over the food.’ He sets several corn cobs on the grill and shoos Alex towards the front door.  


Alex disappears into his bedroom and sheds his heavy uniform as quickly as he can. He pulls on sweatpants, sneakers, and an old Cranberries t-shirt he’s pretty sure he stole from the Ortecho household at some point. 

Walking to his window, he peeks through his blinds at Michael, appreciating the view without any fear of getting caught. There’s nothing special about the sight. Not really. Any other person on the planet might look out his window and see nothing more than an oil-stained cowboy hunched over a grill. But Alex sees almost twelve years of his life - the good, the bad, the best and worst moments.

Staring at Michael is like having his entire life flash before his eyes. Only this isn’t the moment right before his death. This is the moment right before he starts living again.

Grabbing the game, Alex heads back outside with a couple of beers. He hands one to Michael and sets his aside so he can retrieve the instructions from inside the box. ‘It’s been awhile since I played. Last time was with Liz and Maria way back before you two started dating.’

Michael drags his eyes to Alex, but Alex is frowning down at the instructions manual. He decides nothing was meant by the comment and returns his gaze to the grill. ‘Can I ask you something?’

‘Sure.’ It’s barely a mumble and Michael’s pretty sure Alex is only half paying attention.

‘Why’d you break up with Forrest?’ He flips the burgers and waits.

Alex glances up at him. ‘We talked about this already. I’ll tell you as soon as you tell me why you broke up with Maria. Fair is fair.’ His eyes fall back down to the instructions. ‘The general idea of this game is to stop four pandemics.’

‘Four? Seems excessive.’ He sips at his beer and settles a hip next to where Alex is sitting on top of his patio table. ‘Maria broke up with me because she thought there might be someone else who could make me happier.’

Alex drops the manual back into the box, game entirely forgotten. ‘Someone else like who?’

Michael makes a thoughtful humming noise in the back of his throat and shrugs nonchalantly. ‘Probably someone with a really weird board game obsession.’

‘No.’ Alex shakes his head hard. ‘That can’t be why she broke up with you. I’ll fix it.’ He’s already pulling up Maria’s number on his phone.

Michael snatches his phone out of his hand. ‘Stop, Alex. She’s not wrong.’

‘She is wrong, Michael. Maria is sunshine and rainbows. I’m broken dreams and stolen hope. You said so yourself - I’ve hurt you. She would never hurt you.’ 

Michael watches Alex’s chest start to heave and his eyes blink too rapidly. ‘Whoa, whoa, whoa. Where did all this come from?’

‘The food’s going to burn. I’ll go get the buns.’ He slides carefully off the table and is gone before Michael can stop him, shutting the door with a finality that echoes through Michael’s chest.

He takes the burgers and the corn off the grill, setting them aside to cool. Picking up the game instructions, he pretends to read through them while staring anxiously at the door waiting for Alex to return. He waits a long time, but eventually, the door reopens and Alex steps back onto the patio with the buns in his hands. The tightness in Michael’s chest subsides.

They fix their plates silently and sit next to each other at the table. Michael waits until Alex takes the first bite to begin eating himself. ‘These are really good. Everything you cook is always really good.’ He half-smiles at Michael as he takes another bite. ‘Sorry for being weird.’

‘It’s okay. Want to maybe explain it to me better?’ Michael leans back in his chair and watches Alex thoughtfully. 

His answer is quiet when it comes. ‘I can’t be Maria.’

‘Baby, I don’t need you to be Maria. I just need you to run a little less and talk a little more. That’s all.’ Michael reaches out to give his knee a gentle squeeze.

Alex nods softly. ‘You’re such a good man, Michael. You deserve to be with someone just as good. What if that’s not me?’

Michael honestly doesn’t know what to say to that. So he relies on his sarcasm to ease the tension. ‘Well, it’s a good thing we’re only friends then, huh?’ When Alex doesn’t smile, he hangs his head and sighs. ‘What I deserve is to be with the one human on this godforsaken planet that I love the way that I love you.’ He finishes his beer and pushes his plate aside. ‘Why did Forrest break up with you?’

‘Because I’m still in love with you and did a pisspoor job hiding it.’ Alex gulps at his beer. ‘We’re really bad at this friends thing. I have a feeling I’m going to keep saying that.’

Michael grins at him and motions towards the game. ‘Teach me how to play.’

They play past the sun going down and the stars blinking awake. Each and every play through they cure all four pandemics, and Michael enjoys the way Alex grows more and more animated with every perfectly strategized move. After their fourth win, Alex sits back in his chair and sighs happily. ‘I think that’s probably good enough for one night.’ He checks the clock on his phone’s display. ‘Oh shit, Guerin. Didn’t mean to keep you here until 3 am.’

‘Don’t worry about it. Letting you boss me around all night was the most fun I’ve had in awhile. What’s next week?’ He knocks his knee against Alex’s and raises an eyebrow in question.

‘Something simple. Maybe Operation?’ He smiles at Michael and takes one last, long pull of his beer. ‘Let ourselves be kids again. But with happier endings this time.’

Michael nods and stands, stretching his hands over his head and yawning loudly. ‘I’ve got an early morning tow. I’ll bring by coffee and donuts on my way back to the junkyard.’ 

Alex shakes his head as they walk slowly to Michael’s truck. ‘I’ve got a better idea. You take care of your tow. I’ll have coffee and an honest, heartfelt attempt at your favorite omelet waiting for you when you get done. As long as you promise not to laugh if it all goes horribly awry.’

‘I can live with that.’ He plants a kiss on Alex’s forehead and climbs into his truck. Alex watches him pull out onto the road and doesn’t turn away until his taillights are nothing but a distant blur.

He’s too wired to sleep so he sits back down at the patio table and wonders what it’ll be like when Michael stops leaving at the end of the night. And he doesn’t stop wondering until the sun warms the stars back to sleep.


	4. Operation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A game of Operation ends over accusations that someone's cheated.

Michael is over an hour late. He knocks on Alex’s door and steps back to wait. He hears a muffled ‘come in’ and lets himself inside. All the lights are off and everything is silent until he hears Alex clear his throat. Walking down the hallway, Michael finds him buried beneath a blanket, nothing but his head poking out. ‘I took a nap while I waited. Everything okay?’

Michael nods. ‘Yeah, Isobel was just worried about Max. You feeling alright?’  


Alex sits up and throws the blanket off. ‘Better than alright. I thought a nap might help make my hands steadier so I can beat you tonight. Finally.’ He grins up at Michael, devilish glint in his eye. ‘Food’s on the way, but let’s start playing so I can start winning.’

Back at the dining room table, Michael drops into the chair next to Alex. ‘You do realize that I’m very good with my fingers, right? You still remember from all those times I -’

‘Stop.’ Alex holds his hand to Michael’s face. ‘If I recall correctly, my own fingers did just as good a job as yours. I could argue maybe even better. At least sometimes.’

MIchael nods, making a face that indicates he’s magnanimously letting Alex get away with absolute clownery. ‘We’ll see.’

The game starts off pretty evenly. Both of them choosing the easiest body parts to remove and doing so successfully. The best part for Michael is watching Alex concentrate, tip of his tongue snaking out of the corner of his mouth. It’s cute and he tells him so. ‘Shoosh, Guerin. Stop trying to distract me with your flirting.’

Eventually, the only thing left is the pencil. The most notorious piece of all. It’s Michael’s turn and he takes a deep breath before picking up the tweezers. Just as he lowers them to the tiny, slivered piece, Alex speaks. ‘The moon’s wet.’ Michael jumps and his hand jerks wildly, setting off the buzzer and lighting up the naked man’s red nose.

He glares at a smug Alex. ‘The moon’s wet? That’s cheating.’

Alex’s grin only grows. ‘There’s absolutely no rule against talking about wet moons.’

‘It’s implied in the spirit of the game. Each player gets to concentrate on removing the piece instead of their blabbermouth ex.’ He leans over the board and carefully removes the pencil, throwing it at Alex’s face.

Alex bats the small plastic pencil onto the table. ‘Blabbermouth ex? I thought my problem was the exact opposite of being a blabbermouth.’ He starts to put the game away, his smile unwilling to die.

The doorbell interrupts them, announcing the arrival of their dinner. They sit on the sofa, both choosing opposite sides so that an empty cushion remains between them. Alex pulls the wool blanket back over his lap and offers to share with Michael who readily accepts. ‘Want to watch a movie?’ Alex opens the Netflix app and tosses Michael the remote. ‘Pick anything you want.’

Michael settles on _A Knight’s Tale_. Alex doesn’t question the choice, only smiles to himself behind his food. Not in a million years would he have expected Michael to choose this particular movie. But once the movie starts playing and Michael starts chuckling along to all the best parts, Alex thinks the choice isn’t so surprising after all. He imagines that maybe Isobel forced him to watch it one day back in high school, and despite Michael’s fervent protests, he fell in love with its charm.

It’s not really a stretch. He always did fall in love so easily back then.

As the movie progresses, Alex sinks lower and lower into the couch, sliding back beneath his blanket and stretching out his left leg. He stops just shy of pressing his foot against Michael’s hip. But a few minutes later, he feels Michael’s warm hand wrap around his ankle and pull his foot onto his lap. Again, Alex hides his smile, only this time behind his blanket.

The room grows darker and Alex watches as the moonlight slants across Michael’s skin, casting shadows in the sharpest corners of his jaw. An eerie glow haloes his profile, and Alex forgets all about the movie, preferring to watch Michael instead. A fourth button is threatening to come undone and Michael’s lips twitch slightly with every joke the movie makes. Alex also notices that Michael keeps flexing his left hand, stretching his fingers against the couch’s arm and squeezing his fist open and shut. ‘Does your hand hurt?’

Michael glances down at him and shakes his head. ‘Not really. Old habit, I guess.’

Alex sits up and scoots closer, reaching for his hand and massaging between his knuckles. ‘Let me know if anything hurts or feels too uncomfortable. You never told me what happened. How you got healed? I assumed it was Max, obviously.’

‘It was. He got drunk on power after killing Noah, grabbed my hand, and healed me.’ His voice is quiet, too quiet. ‘I know it doesn’t make sense, but I didn’t want to be healed.’

Alex nods, continuing to work at the kinks in the back of his hand, pressing hardest in the spots that used to be rigid and gnarled. ‘I know. And it does make sense. No matter what I said the last time we spoke about your hand being covered.’

‘I told myself the mangled mess of my hand reminded me to be wary of hope. That every time my hand seized with overwork, I’d remember how dangerous hope could be and make better decisions in the future.’ He leans into Alex, butting their shoulders together. ‘But it was more than that actually. Or maybe it wasn’t really that at all. My hand helped slow me down. Made me take breaks when otherwise I’d get so wrapped up in a project I’d forget to eat or sleep. It allowed me to rest and kept me sharp.’

‘It’s similar with my leg.’ Alex rubs at his own right knee. ‘If you’d asked me right after I woke up in Germany, I’d have said I wanted nothing more than to grow back a new one.’ He switches to Michael’s right hand, starting the massage all over again. ‘But now? I don’t know that I’d change anything. There are parts that suck - things I can no longer do in the same ways I used to. But, I don't know, it’s who I am now. And I worked hard to be this version of me. I like this version of me, the ways I’ve grown stronger. Maybe even I like this version better.’

‘I never asked you what happened. In Iraq.’ Michael tugs at Alex’s right leg until it’s in his lap. Alex releases his hand and Michael starts to knead the tension loose above his knee. ‘I should have asked.’

They both look up as the credits begin to roll on the movie. ‘It’s okay. No one asks. No one really wants to know. It’s a pretty common story - roadside bomb, shredded foot, and a botched tourniquet because our medic died in the explosion.’ He lays his head on Michael’s shoulder and closes his eyes, trying to remember anything after the initial clap of the bomb and the first lick of fire gnawing on his skin. But there’s nothing, always nothing. He’s been told that makes him lucky.

Michael works at the tight muscles in his thigh, and Alex can’t help but drift off to sleep. The minute Alex goes lax against him, Michael switches off the television and stretches his legs onto the coffee table, resting his head on top of Alex’s and shutting his own eyes. It’s Michael’s first time spending the night. But it won’t be his last. 

They wake with the sun, tangled together and eyes wide with a strange mix of wonder and relief. Half-holding their breaths, both wait for the other one to move off the couch. Minutes tick by. When nothing happens, Michael tucks the blanket around them tighter, cocooning them together with no protests from Alex. ‘What’s next week’s game?’

Alex nuzzles further into Michael’s neck and murmurs something neither of them understands, already falling back to sleep. Michael smiles into his hair and joins him.


	5. Never Have I Ever

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Michael switches things up and invites Alex out to their old spot in the desert.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To all my fellow Americans, here's a little bit of escapism I hope makes your night a little easier!! <3

The next Friday night Michael shows up early and with a list of demands. ‘Put on some warm clothes and grab a couple of blankets you don’t mind getting dirty. We’re taking this show on the road.’ He heads into Alex’s kitchen to pilfer the fridge, and Alex doesn’t bother asking questions, he just does as told.

Outside at Michael’s truck, they toss the blankets and whatever Michael took from his kitchen into the bed. ‘Your firepit? Where are we going?’

‘The desert. Our old spot. Hop in.’ A little thrill shivers down Alex’s spine as he climbs into the Chevy. In all their years of each other, spending the night in the desert has only ever ended one way.

Their drive out is twenty minutes of quiet, radio softly playing between them. Michael’s window is down despite the chill, and Alex enjoys the way the wind dances through his hair, making a mess of his curls. Every couple of miles, Michael glances over at him with a promise-painted smile, the same way he used to when they were seventeen.

They turn off the highway, tires kicking up dust clouds behind them. Beyond the mountains the sun is setting, pink and purple and orange flames licking at the first stars daring to blink down at them. The desert around them looks the same as it ever does with pockets of snow still unmelted from the season’s first snowfall. Eventually, two familiar mesquite trees appear and it’s like coming home, both of them breathing a little easier.

Michael puts the truck in park. ‘This place never changes.’ He slides out of the Chevy and before Alex has even set foot on solid ground, he’s managed to float everything out of the bed and onto the desert floor. ‘You want to sit on the ground or would the tailgate be easier?’ 

He looks nervous and that makes Alex nervous. ‘On the ground, near the fire. Just need a hand getting down there.’ He reaches out to Michael, asking for help but also offering comfort for whatever anxiety is biting at both their heels. Michael helps him onto the blanket and plops down beside him, the fire close enough to keep the encroaching sting of autumn winds at bay.

Scattered around them is an array of food. Everything from paninis oozing melted cheese to a handmade Greek salad from a recipe Michael had found at Isobel’s house while rummaging through her cookbooks. ‘I might have gone a bit overboard, but in my defense, I skipped lunch and was starving.’ 

Alex is already halfway through one of the paninis, eyes closed in satisfaction. ‘This is delicious.’ Michael makes a mental note to keep the panini maker he’d borrowed from Max. It’s not like Max ever uses it anyway.

Once they’ve eaten their way around the blanket, Michael gets back up and removes a large black case from his truck. ‘There’s a reason I wanted to come out here tonight.’ He winks down at Alex. ‘And no, it’s not the reason you’ve been thinking since I first mentioned the desert.’ Alex looks away quickly, hiding the disappointment that suddenly floods his face.

Michael doesn’t notice, too busy pulling a large telescope from the velvet lining inside the opened case. ‘Mars is brighter than it’s been in years this month. I’ve been itching to get out here and have a look. Isobel gifted me the telescope on our shared birthday in June. I was going to pawn it.’ He shrugs and peeks his eye through the eyepiece, adjusting the fingerscope per the instructions he’s found on his phone.

Alex looks up at the night sky and finds Mars with his naked eye. It is extraordinarily bright, a glowing pink orb rising through the inky black expanse of space. And when Michael finally captures it in the lens of the telescope, he gasps and grabs at Alex’s arm. ‘You can see so much detail. All the pockmarks and craters. And the dust looks almost orange. It’s amazing. Look.’

He drags the telescope closer to Alex so he doesn’t have to move much, checking through the eyepiece one last time to focus directly on the red star. Leaning back on his heels, Michael motions at Alex to take his place and turns his own eyes upward. They are both looking at the same star but he also knows they are seeing something entirely different. He huffs out a sharp laugh which draws Alex’s eye away from the telescope. ‘What’s so funny?’

‘Nothing. Just metaphors and nonsense. The ways that perspectives get so warped and are so hard to understand when everyone doesn’t have the same telescope.’ Alex gives him a funny look and Michael laughs outright. ‘I’ve been hanging around Max too much.’

Alex shakes his head gently. ‘No. I think I get what you’re saying. For a long time, we’ve wanted the same thing, but we’ve been coming at it from our own messy angles. I’ve often thought we were similar to the codes I break. We’re on the same page, but written in a language the other needs help translating.’ Michael nods at him, smiling sweet.

They spend an hour searching through the various stars and distant galaxies before a growing ache in Alex’s chest pushes him to ask a question he’s been holding inside since they decided to work on their friendship weeks ago. ‘One day you’ll be able to find your star. The one you’ve been searching for since you crawled from that pod. And you’ll figure out how to finish building your ship.’ He pauses to collect himself, already feeling the emotion in his chest threatening to overwhelm him. ‘One day, you’ll be able to go home.’ His eyes start to burn with unshed tears, but he keeps going, meeting Michael’s gaze with determination and readying the fortress around his heart he was so sure he wouldn’t need anymore. ‘Is that still what you want?’

Michael reaches up and swipes at the first tear that falls from the corner of Alex’s eye. ‘I found my star a long time ago. And I’m not going anywhere without you.’

Alex drops his eyes to his hands. ‘I have no right to ask that of you. I know that. Not after all the leaving I did.’ He tugs nervously at the hem of his shirt, hands starting to shake with the cold. ‘But I’m never going anywhere without you ever again. I promise.’

‘I know.’ Michael grabs an extra blanket and wraps it tight around Alex. ‘So what’s tonight’s game? Didn’t see you toss anything into the bed when we were leaving.’

They both lean back against the Chevy’s tire. Alex stretches the blanket around Michael’s shoulders so that they are sharing more than just the woven wool’s warmth. ‘How about the classic drinking game, Never Have I Ever? Sans alcohol but with a new twist.’ He grins, lips sharpening at the edges and eyes darkening with dare. ‘Instead of taking a drink, you have to kiss the other person.’

Michael snorts. ‘So we’re just soundly saying goodbye to the friends experiment then?’

‘No. Platonic kisses only. No kissing on the mouth and no use of tongue.’ Alex hears the bullshit in his words and knows Michael does too. His nerves return and he begins to second guess himself. ‘Or we can play like normal. There’s still plenty of wine left. Or not at all. I’m happy to just sit here with you too.’

‘That’s okay. I like the new rules. Not much of a wine guy anyway. Who goes first?’

‘Me.’ Alex sits up a little straighter and spends a fair amount of time considering his first move. ‘Never have I ever used my telekinesis to do literally anything.’ He follows the statement with a cheeky grin, clearly quite proud of himself.

‘Oh, so that’s how it’s going to be? That’s how we’re going to play?’ Alex tries to suppress the manic giggle that bubbles up in his throat but loses the fight pretty quickly. Michael shakes his head. ‘Have a placement preference?’

‘Nope. I’m looking forward to wherever you choose.’ He blushes and struggles to meet Michael’s eye, muscles tensing in anticipation once he feels Michael shift against him.

A breeze nestles between them, but neither of them notices. The cool air doing absolutely nothing to assuage the heat pulsing between them. Michael presses his lips to Alex’s temple, less a kiss than a remembrance of every kiss that has come before. Alex closes his eyes and lets this new memory burn a spot next to all the others.

It’s strange. Michael has kissed him goodbye dozens of times over the past few weeks. None of them half as affecting as this barely glancing touch. 

Abruptly, Michael pulls away. ‘Never have I ever gone to war.’ 

Alex reopens his eyes at the sound of Michael’s voice. ‘If we keep this up, we’re going to dig ourselves into a hole, Guerin. One we can’t get out of.’ He brings his fingers up to the sleeve of Michael’s shirt. ‘You told me to dress warm when all you’re wearing is this thin t-shirt.’ Michael watches as Alex slowly guides the sleeve up over the top of his arm. Alex bows his head far enough to leave a trail of rough, chapped kisses where the bony end of his collarbone meets his shoulder.

Michael’s breath hitches the instant Alex doesn’t stop with one single kiss. The dry scrape of his lips sending goosebumps down to his toes, his heartbeat a staccato rhythm echoing throughout his entire body. ‘That doesn’t feel at all platonic.’ His voice is low and strained, edged with the desire to flatten Alex hard against the wool blanket beneath them.

Alex smiles and smacks his shoulder with one last loud kiss. ‘I guess that depends on your perspective. Never have I ever stepped foot on another planet.’

‘How about I share a little bit of my perspective with you?’ He scoots impossibly nearer to Alex, hand cupping his cheek and tilting their mouths dangerously closer. Their breaths mingle together although Alex is almost certain he’s not breathing at all anymore. Michael’s lips hover over Alex’s, the anticipation building to a crescendo they’ve both been waiting for since five Friday nights ago at the Wild Pony. And it doesn’t matter how many times they’ve kissed before. Because there’s never, not once been this much hope waiting for them on the other side.

When Michael’s lips finally land on Alex’s skin, they narrowly miss his mouth. Instead they fall at the corner of his lips, a sliver away from touching home. Alex exhales, half-groaning with the comedown. He’d been sure, so sure this was their moment. Swallowing down what he really wants to say, Alex turns to Michael just as he pulls away. ‘Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.’

‘I think this was the best idea.’ He tilts his head and smiles at Alex so beyond innocent that Alex yelps when Michael pushes his shoulders roughly onto the blanket and slides effortlessly between Alex’s welcoming thighs. Alex barely has time to take another breath before Michael’s mouth steals it away, sucking at his bottom lip so desperately Alex has to lift his head to chase after Michael’s urgency.

The kiss is needy, both of them grasping at each other like they’re dangling off a cliff holding on with nothing more than their fingertips. Michael’s hands tug at Alex’s hair, jagged, work-worn nails digging into the softness of his scalp without apology. And Alex fills the gaps between Michael’s ribs with his fingers, feeling Michael’s lungs expand with each new, shuddering breath. Eventually twisting Michael’s t-shirt so tight in his fists it rips at the seams.

One kiss becomes two becomes twenty until neither knows whose tongue is whose anymore. Michael’s shirt is long gone and Alex’s pants are shoved halfway down his thighs before either of them has the sense to stop. ‘Your skin is like ice, Alex. It’s too cold out here for this, even with the fire.’ His breathing is ragged, his chest heaving. Leaning back on his knees, he helps Alex back into his jeans, despite his ardent protests that he’s not too cold, and grabs the remaining blanket to wrap around them. Even with two thick, wool blankets, the night air is still harsh enough to make both of them shiver. ‘Maybe we should go back to your place.’

‘No. Please not yet.’ Alex shifts closer to Michael, joining their bodies wherever he can reach. Laying his head on Michael’s chest, he hums in satisfaction at the steady beat of his heart. ‘You’ll keep me warm. Tell me about the stars like you used to.’ Alex points to a random patch of desert sky. ‘Isn’t that Polaris?’

Michael snorts into Alex’s hair. ‘You’ve always been so bad at this. You can’t really see the North Star from here. It’s not bright enough.’ He drags Alex’s still-raised finger to another part of the sky. ‘That’s Gemini. The twins. I’ve always thought of me and Max as Castor and Pollux. But the version where only one of them, Pollux probably, is immortal.’

‘Max is Pollux, I’m guessing?’ 

Michael nods, chin tapping against the top of his head. ‘Yes.’

The stars glow brighter as Michael spends the next hour recounting so many of their mysteries, fingertips dancing up and down Alex’s arm like he’s tattooing the stories into his skin. Alex pretends like he’s never heard them before when in reality he’s had them all memorized for over a decade. The stars and Michael’s stories are what had kept his first tour overseas from chewing him up and spitting him out. 

Tilting his chin, Alex kisses into Michael’s neck, leaving a sloppy trail in his wake as he nibbles up to his ear. ‘Take me home.’ 

The warmth of Alex’s house beckons as they pile everything back into the truck. With no traffic, they pull into the driveway in record time, not bothering to unpack the Chevy before heading inside and straight to Alex’s bedroom. They collapse onto the bed and undress each other slowly, allowing the furnace’s heat to melt them into nothing but nerve-endings and sensation, their sweat-slick skin sliding smoothly together.

Once they’re sated and sleepy, Michael throws a leg over Alex’s thighs and wraps an arm around his waist, tugging him as close as possible. ‘I guess we’re dating now.’

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading. Cross-posted to @litwitlady on Tumblr. Please consider donating to the [Official Navajo Nation COVID Relief Fund.](https://www.nndoh.org/donate.html)


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